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Beam Weapons: The Next Arms Race
 
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Beam Weapons: The Next Arms Race [Paperback]

Jeff Hecht (Author)
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Price: $21.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Book Description

June 16, 2000

Beam Weapons describes the technology and uses of high-energy laser and particle-beam weapons both on the battlefield and in strategic defense against nuclear attach. Technical issues covered include high-energy lasers, particl beams, x-ray lasers, microwaves, pointing and tracking systems, beam delivery, reliability, and atmospheric effect on beams.

Potential missions covered include missile defense, antisatellite weapons, aircraft use, and battlefield weapons. This book also covers the Reagan administration's "Star Wars" program, prospects for development of practical beam weapons, and their implications of rmilitary strategy and global policy.


Editorial Reviews

Review

"Presents the issues in a sober and even-handed fashion." -- The

About the Author

Jeff Hecht is a science writer who has covered laser technology for 25 years. he is a correspondent for New Scientist magazine and a contributing editor to Laser Focus World. His other books include Understanding Lasers, Understanding Fiber Optics, Laser: Light of a Million Users, and City of Light: The Story of Fiber Optics.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 380 pages
  • Publisher: iUniverse (June 16, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0595094503
  • ISBN-13: 978-0595094509
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,064,727 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jeff Hecht has been writing about lasers, optics and fiber optics for more than 35 years. After writing for industry magazine Laser Focus World for several years, he began writing books that explain laser science and technology to newcomers to the field. His books are aimed at readers from middle-school students to professionals. The New York Academy of Sciences gave his book Optics: Light for a New Age, honorable mention as one of the best children's science books in older age group in 1988. His technician-training and self-study book Understanding Fiber Optics is now in its fifth edition, with more than 100,000 copies in print.

After years of writing about new science and technology, he turned to the history of fiber optics, writing City of Light: The Story of Fiber Optics, as part of the Sloan Technology Series. More recently, he wrote BEAM: The Race to Make The Laser, describing the work that led to the world's first laser in 1960.

He continues to write extensively for magazines, covering topics from lasers to dinosaurs for New Scientist magazine, and continuing developments in lasers and photonics for Laser Focus World

 

Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review
3.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but dated, March 18, 2010
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Basic principles are laid out very well and it's well written, but it's very dated. I'd like to see Jeff update it with something from this century. Nice cold war perspective of 25-30 years ago. I want the latest technology tho.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Equally interesting for a professional and a student, February 3, 2010
By 
Protopopov (Suwon, South Korea) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Beam Weapons: The Next Arms Race (Paperback)
As for a participant of the laser weapons arms race between the US and the Soviet Union in the 80th, it was a professional interest for me to read this book in its first edition in 1984. The subject of the book was a hot issue that time, and many details of the US laser weapons program were unveiled for the first time for a broad audience. The Soviet counterpart was mostly classified that time (and it continues to be even nowadays) so that the book presented mainly the general conceptual design of what could possibly be expected of laser weaponry. However, the intriguing style of writing and scientific professionalism of the author made the book interesting for the people like me. The only dull moment seems to be the introduction, going down to Archimedes and early fiction novels about Martians. Nowadays, more than 20 years later, it is a complete revelation for me to see that the new edition of this book is also of interest for younger audience: my son finished it in one day. Summarizing, I can say that this book remains equally interesting for both those who has gone through the era of laser weapons race and the young generation, willing to learn the thrilling history of this subject.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and very informative, February 24, 1999
By A Customer
The book in general was very informative. It provided me with a large amount of information that I was previosly unaware of reguarding beam weapons. By the end of the book I share the authors conclusion that beam weapons will be the next arms race. This was very well written.
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